Mandy Moore Compared Her NFL Journey to Taylor Swift’s Learning Curve for New Show
Mandy Moore is stepping into her NFL era, taking inspiration from Taylor Swift.
On the Monday, November 3 episode of Today With Jenna & Friends, Moore, 41, shared insights about collaborating with This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman on an upcoming football-themed project. “You guys, I feel like Taylor Swift. I had to learn everything about the NFL,” she joked. “I was completely clueless about the NFL.”
Moore disclosed that the project, which has yet to be titled, began filming approximately two weeks ago. “It focuses on the NFL, and I play the daughter of an NFL team owner,” she noted. “So I get to sort of be the boss.”
When Jenna Bush Hager inquired if Moore had connected with Jerry Jones’ daughter, Charlotte Jones—the executive vice president and chief brand officer of the Dallas Cowboys—Moore confirmed and hinted at the character’s inspiration.
“[I’m portraying] someone who’s being groomed to potentially take over for Dad when he steps down,” Moore added.
Much like Moore, Swift, 35, has immersed herself in the football scene. She was first seen at a Kansas City Chiefs game in September 2023 during her relationship with Travis Kelce, openly acknowledging her lack of sports knowledge.
“Football is awesome, it turns out,” she humorously remarked in her 2023 Time Magazine Person of the Year profile, where she discussed her relationship with Kelce, 36. “I’ve been missing out my whole life.”
Earlier this year, Swift made her debut on Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast, sharing tales from their first date.
“I genuinely asked him what it was like when the Chiefs played the Eagles in the Super Bowl, and he looked across the line of scrimmage and saw his brother just five feet away on the field,” Swift recounted in August. “I now realize how ridiculous that question was. He said, ‘Actually, I’m on the offense, and my brother’s also on the offense; we only share the field with the defense at the same time.’”
Swift admitted she “thought everyone was on the field at the same time,” but her understanding of the game has significantly improved. “I fell in love with it,” she explained. “I became obsessed with it. I found myself running through the halls of my house shouting, ‘We drafted Xavier Worthy!’ And my friends were like, ‘Who body-snatched you? What do you mean?’”
The pop star quipped, “I’m not ready to be an analyst right now, but give me 16 months.”
The couple announced their engagement later that month after two years of dating, and Swift has continued to root for her future husband throughout the NFL season.
As for Moore, she has recruited some star teammates for Fogelman’s football project, set to premiere on Hulu next year. According to Variety, William H. Macy will play the team owner, while Christopher Meloni is set to portray the head coach.
